


equinophobia

by Belfire



Category: Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Awkward Tension, Because of Reasons, Concussions, Horseback Riding, Jason is scared of horses, M/M, Nobody actually likes horses, Or velcro, Phobias, Refences to Roy's Najavo heritage, Terrorists, scared jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-11-08 23:34:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20843864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belfire/pseuds/Belfire
Summary: Sighing through his nose in a wary way, Jason directed himself away from Roy so the man couldn't reach to poke him. He wasn't in the headspace where he could be poked right now."Stop worrying about whether or not I've ever fallen off one of these awful things." Jason shifted his weight in the saddle, the dull ache of riding all-day beginning to throb through his bones."I'm just wondering why you're scared of horses.""Roy," Jason shot him a look dead in the eye with 100% severity."I'm not fucking scared of fucking horses."





	1. Okay, but I'm not scared of horses

**Author's Note:**

> Based on my deathly fear of horses

If someone were to ask him, Jason couldn't tell them how this situation came about. How he _let_ this happen. Coming to Canada in pursuit of a contract was one thing, standard RedArse business, but it started to go pear-shaped about the time the ambush almost saw him and his partner-in-arms captured at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

They managed to get away, of course, escaping into the mountain range via a secluded pass creeping between the rock formations. For the moment, they were safe and had been able to arrange a pickup but the downside was that the closest Tara could get the jet was the other side of the mountain. Ergo, they needed to get there in two days.

Regrettably, that meant they needed transportation and the cliffs were too sheer and paths too unpredictable for mountain bikes, so against Jason's better judgement and to Roy's _utmost_ delight, the answer came to them in the form of their equestrian companions.

Yes, _horses_. They were horseback riding across the Rocky Mountains with terrorists on their heels and Roy was having _way_ too much fun. For one, he was talking nonstop and Jason zoned out an hour ago, it was the only way to stay sane in the face of the archer's enthusiasm. Roy wasn't holding onto the horse's reins, waving his hands around and describing things to the best of his abilities.

Jason gave up worrying he was going to fall a while ago because Roy appeared to know how to ride one of these horrid animals just fine, with or without holding on with anything other than his legs. How he ever learned was beside Jason, he'd just come to understand that Roy had a very specific and odd range of skills.

From the depth of his lungs, Jason gave a low breathy exhale when Roy's steed jogged up beside his and the archer attacked him with rambunctious chatter again.

"This was the best idea ever, Jaybird!" Roy exclaimed, full of smiles and alight with excitement despite the terrorists on their tails.

But as for this being 'the best idea ever', Jason wasn't so convinced. He didn't like horses. As a testament to that, his palms were damp with nervous sweat, the leather of the reins creaked as he shifted and tightened his grip.

He _really_ didn't like horses. Never mind the one taking his weight was reliable and unlikely to randomly take off in a mad gallop, he couldn't seem to place all his trust in the animal. Romi was her name, the horse's, and she stood tall at a hundred and eighty-five centimetres, over two hundred pounds, and all of that power and deadliness was covered in a velvety brown fleece of soft fur.

At the stable, Roy'd practically thrown himself at the red warm-blooded mare with the white star on her nose. Jason hadn't ever seen his partner's eyes light up that way, never seen such a broad smile then when he saw Sandy, standing off in the corner stall. She took a liking to Roy almost as immediately as he did to her, and on the ride up the mountain, he braided feathers and beads and twine into her long scarlet mane.

Jason was... Jason was happy that Roy could be so glad while he himself was having a mini anxiety attack on the inside. Something about the sheer unbridled power of the animal he couldn't seem to trust riddled him with holes of unease. A single kick could be fatal... Funny how going up against a legion of terrorists was routine but a horse made Jason squirm in fright.

He was doing his all to keep Roy from seeing through to his anxious core. Good thing the archer was too busy being a kid in a candy store to examine Jason too closely.

"Look at these _mountains_! It's so fucking pretty up here - I wish I'd brought a camera!" Grinning from ear-to-ear, Roy leaned over on the horse to peer from the narrow cliffside path down into the ravenous chasm cutting through the black rock for miles. He was a meter from the treacherous edge, admiring the crystal clear river filling the void beneath. The water flowed slowly, coloured blue in the brights of tranquillity, completed to picture perfection with the sunshine weightlessly dancing on its surface.

Jason's throat was agonisingly tight when he watched Roy from his peripheral. It was a three hundred yard drop _at least_ and he was being so precarious. It was typical for the archer to throw all concern for his safety to the winds but for some reason, this bothered Jason more than usually.

Maybe because he really, _really_ didn't like horses. Fucking black-eyed, long-faced demons on four legs.

"If you fall, I ain't scraping your corpse off the valley floor." Jason curtly informed Roy, leaning slightly, _carefully_ closer to grab the scatterbrain by the strap of his quiver and straighten him out in the saddle.

Roy slumped playfully back into a safer position, one hand loosely curled around the reins, though he was convinced he didn't need them. _Apparently_, horseback riding was easier without any of the _fancy_ equipment.

Jason just didn't want him to fall. That didn't make him wrong.

"You're cute when you worry, Red." Roy let him know with a sparkle in his eye that Jason didn't trust. His smile was bright and constant, his perfect white teeth there to be fully enjoyed.

"But Sandy's not gonna throw me off. She's a good girl, ain't ya?" For emphasis, Roy patted the horse on her neck and as if of the same mind, she tossed her head with a whinny. Jason observed them both warily, once again adjusting his own hold.

"If you say so, ginger." He murmured without conviction, refusing to put faith in these things. The sooner they got to Tara and some trustworthy man-made transportation, the better.

Jason turned his greeny-blue gaze back in the way of the path winding out before them, narrow and leading through the mountains. There really wasn't enough space for Roy to safely ride beside him the way he was but fuck if the archer cared.

"I used to have a horse just like her... _Back then_." Roy absently thought aloud, eyes yet drifted downcast to his hand on Sandy's neck. In silence, Jason glanced back to his partner, noting the slight shift in the undertones of his voice. Roy rarely spoke about his life before Oliver, with Sioux, the Najavo tribe residing in Arizona, so whenever he brought it to conversation, Jason made it his point to listen.

"When you were with Raymond?" Jason asked, utilising the few things he did know about that long-ago chapter.

"_Brave Bow_." Roy corrected, very particular about respecting the preferred name of a man who passed many seasons since.

"And yes. He taught me how to ride and stuff, got me a horse that was red like this one." With the explanation, it came to Jason's understanding why Roy'd been insistent to mount the specific horse he chose, and it tugged at something in Jason's heart.

"That was quite a while ago, it's impressive you still remember how to ride."

"What's that saying about bicycles?" Roy quirked his head, carroty brows inching closer as he thought.

"Yeah, yeah - _right_. You never forget. It applies to horses too."

"That's, uh... yeah. That's cool." He didn't mean to sound so disinterested, it's just that the animal beneath him moved and it made him tense up, expecting to fall. Jason noticed Roy watching him and tried to hide his anxiousness.

But the archer had caught on already.

"Relax your body, Jaybird. Release the tension." He advised. "The horse can sense if you're all nervous and stuff, and that's gonna make her nervous too." 

"I'm not nervous." Jason lied but did attempt to focus on loosening the tightness of his muscles. He _was_ nervous though. 

"Considering you were raised by a billionaire who dragged you to country clubs and socialite events, I'm surprised you've never ridden a horse." Roy went on to comment, a flicker of a smile keeping the corners of his pale lips upturned. Apparently, he'd forgot about Brave Bow and his former pet horse, preferring to pursue the coat ends of Jason's secret phobias. Jason was a stoic and fearless figure, unsurprising that the archer would want to dig up anything that revealed his humanity.

Roy wasn't doing it for devious reasons or anything of the sort, he was just... _Roy_. Simply put.

"I've ridden a horse before... I don't like them." Once, when he was twelve, Bruce lifted him onto the back of a draft horse that belonged to the Wayne family... and that was as far as Jason's experience with equine animals went.

Roy hummed, considering something as he gazed at Jason and examined him, tilting his head slightly to the left and his long scruffy hair shifted to the movement. He stared at Jason and Jason didn't like the way Roy seemed to read every twitch of his nerves as openly as if it were scripture.

But Roy had always been able to do that, to almost supernatural precision. Back when they weren't Red Hood and Arsenal, but just two confused teenagers awkwardly and unawaredly flirting, Roy homed in on any dip in Jason's mood instantly, no matter how slight it may be. Even that one time where something at a billionaire party upset Jason and he withdrew into the quiet of the gardens outside and collect his thoughts and composure. Roy was there at the event with Oliver and he noticed Jason drift out and went after him.

Jason just... wasn't all that good with people, specifically the elite, he got overwhelmed with the amount of noise and activity around him and sought to find comfort in silence. It was nothing to get worried over yet Roy did.

But they were kids back then and Roy really didn't need to be worrying about Jason's moderate to crippling fear of horses. As long as this fucking monster didn't throw him off as the last one did, he was fine.

"You didn't fall, did you? From the last horse you rode?" Roy asked in concern, steering his steed closer until his leg brushed on Jason's. He did it deliberately, extending the limb to nudge Jason with and hoping to garner his attention.

Sighing through his nose in a wary way, Jason directed himself away from Roy so the man couldn't reach to poke him. He wasn't in the headspace where he could be poked right now.

"Stop worrying about whether or not I've ever fallen off one of these awful things." Jason shifted his weight in the saddle, the dull ache of riding all-day beginning to throb through his bones.

"I'm just wondering why you're scared of horses." 

"_Roy_," Jason shot him a look dead in the eye with 100% severity.

"I'm not fucking scared of fucking _horses_."

Unconvinced, the archer shrugged one shoulder, shifting his quiver and causing the arrows in it to roll and rattle together. The noise made Romi flick her ear, her movement made Jason flinch inwardly and he could tell Roy caught it.

"Well, you sure aren't exuding machismo at the mo'." 

"Have you somehow forgotten we're being chased by terrorists? I can't act all manly while I'm stressing about that." In rhetorical question, Jason arched an eyebrow, tilting his chin but he didn't avert his gaze from the rocky path ahead, ascending higher into the mountains. The horses' hooves clip-clopped on the solid, uneven ground and slanted footing aside, they didn't appear to be having a hard time crossing the terrain. Jason just hoped they didn't have to climb much higher towards the snowy peaks, he was worried about what the thinning air was doing to Roy's brain.

_Him_? Afraid of _horses_? Fucking ridiculous, in Jason's opinion. He wasn't afraid of them before Bruce introduced him to Ray the draft horse and he wasn't afraid of them after.

"Red, we're _always_ being chased by terrorists or something like it. And don't think I didn't notice that you jumped like... A mile at the stable when some horse whinnied." Oh, so Roy thought he was making a point? Jason didn't get a major start when that awful monster made that random noise, he just... he was stretching.

"Roy, if you really wanna deep-dive, should we discuss why you're afraid of _velcro_?" It came off as a mocking jab, exactly how Jason meant it but his only response was another half-shrug.

"I don't like the sound it makes when it pulls apart. It gives me goosebumps." As if the thought alone was too much, Roy shivered and rubbed down the chills that crept up his arm. He really didn't like velcro, Jason could attest to that. Roy's boots were laced up and his quiver strapped to his back with a metal buckle, even his trucker caps came with a strap link at the back of his head. No velcro ever, with no exception.

"Admit it, Jaybird, "

When Roy kept talking, Jason slowly closed his eyes and started counting upwards from one. _One, two, three, four..._

"This thing, this whole _set up_," Taking one hand off the reins he loosely, _barely_ held, Roy motioned to the mountains, the horses, to Jason, god knows what specifically.

"Kinda reminds you of Brokeback Mountain?" The movie name slipped a smile onto his lips, his gaze drilling into Jason like he was expecting something with the implication.

"Roy, actually _shut up_."

"I'm trying to distract you from your equinophobia!"

"I'm not-"

_Bang_! The sudden gunshot careering through the air terrified the horses and startled their riders. The animals bucked and while Roy was a natural enough to react at once and not be thrown off, Jason just _barely_ avoided it. He wrapped his fists twice around the reins and quickly adjusted his bodyweight accordingly, distributing it forward, upright almost pressed to Romi's neck when she was on her back legs. Jason's heart beat harder than the slam of the horse's front hooves striking the ground when she came down.

A rapid glance back towards the source of the bang revealed the angry distant faces of the terrorists who wanted to correct imaginary wrongs. _Shit_.

"_Dammit_!" Jason snapped, unholstering his weighted beretta in one fluid swish, aim instantaneous on the group of gunmen lower down the side of the mountain. He sent three shots at them and the first line fell back with explosions of blood, the twang of a bowstring to Jason's left alerting him of the arrow being pulled back before it hurtled towards their attackers.

"Looks like we're found, Jaybird." Roy and his _incredible_ gift for the obvious informed Jason, almost inaudible above the gunfire. They couldn't fight their way out of this, that was a given. They were overpowered and outgunned, at a disadvantage in their current position. There were another ten men at least, racing up the path to gain on them.

This was when a tactical retreat was in order.

"_C'mon_." Jason urged, already digging his heels into Romi's flanks, kicking her into a gallop and Roy did the same. The previous gentle clip-clopping transformed into thunder as the beasts pushed deeper through the mountains, bullets splintering the rocks they crashed into at every near hit.

All current and pressing things aside, Jason could admit it was an impressive fete that Roy turned in the saddle to fire arrows behind them, only holding onto Sandy with his legs wrapped around her ribcage. 

Damn show-off.

Not that Jason would object right now. So long as they got out of this and he never had to touch a horse again, he'd die happy.


	2. Sure, you aren't

His act was cute but Jason wasn't fooling anyone with it, especially not Roy. The big bad Red Hood was scared shitless by something as sweet and tender as a _horse_. Maybe he got kicked or thrown off or something, Roy'd experienced his fair share of riding accidents too but what's that saying about getting back into the saddle? Oh yeah. To keep doing it.

Roy didn't get it. Sliding down from Sandy's back and stroking her cheek, he kissed her soft velvety nose and he didn't get it. These beautiful animals wouldn't hurt a fly, much less someone who was afraid to look at them. As a testament to their gentle nature, Sandy nuzzled his cheek and nibbled on his hair on the off chance that it might be edible.

They outran and lost those bandits somewhere around nightfall, they'd descended from the mountains into a forested valley where they were safe for now. They really had to press on but the horses were knackered, _completely_, and they needed rest and water.

"There, there, _hopa_." In Sioux, Roy murmured beneath his breath, comfortingly stroking his hand along the soft fur of Sandy's face. She was breathing heavily, her nostrils flared and sweat rolled down from her brow in translucent pearls. Her legs were trembling from exhaustion, damp fur standing on end. They rode for hours at full speed and up difficult, challenging terrain, the animals were almost too tired to stand.

Roy said other comforting things to Sandy in Sioux, talking in a low, calming voice that could soothe any creature. Or child. That was proven, Brave Bow used to hum him small songs and tell him stories whenever nightmares of forest fires kept him from sleep. 

He was a good man. He taught Roy several values and skills that Oliver couldn't begin to.

On a side note, Roy listened to the thud of Jason's boots hitting the ground and wondered if he'd get snapped at for saying that jumping from a horse's back and almost breaking your knees doing it was an incorrect way to dismount.

"God, I hate these animals." Jason grumbled, stretching with a groan in a way that was very different to him getting startled at the stable.

"Don't listen to him." Roy whispered to Sandy, easing the bit out of her mouth and removing her headcollar. Foamy drool dripped from her lips and Roy cleaned it off on his glove, tenderly tidying her up.

"He's just scared to death of your species." The archer explained but he didn't think Sandy actually cared about Jason's feelings towards her and Romi, she just wanted to get this gear off her back, eat, and drink water from the small creek nearby. The soft trickling of the water was making her impatient, so Roy went about unsaddling her as quickly as he could. Sandy snorted and gave her head a toss, the noise of her frustration making Jason jump.

"Jesus Christ, you're seriously terrified of horses, aren't you?" Roy asked as he eased the saddle from Sandy's back and across his arm, the familiar weight of it taking his mind briefly to the forests of Arizona.

"I'm not _terrified_, I just don't like them." Jason insisted, bite to his tone, but if he was telling the truth, would he really be too afraid to go near Romi to unsaddle her? He was standing a tentative four meters from her.

"Uh-huh." Roy didn't believe him. He made sure his grin gave it away while he tossed the saddle, reins, and other pieces of equipment over a fallen log.

Jason saw what he was doing and tried to imitate, creeping fearfully closer to Romi but when it came to removing her gear, it was attempted very much at arm's length. His fingers fumbled with the clasp of the saddle strap, struggling to open it with how badly this proximity made him tremble. Actually _tremble_. It was a tiny involuntary movement but Roy caught it nonetheless.

"I'll do that, Jay."

"I've got it." Was the gruff reply to Roy's caring offer, Jason's brow crinkled from concentration and the tip of his tongue poked out the side of his lips. That was Jason's intense focus face that Roy recognised.

"You don't know how. You won't do it right."

"I'm just opening a fucking strap, _Roy_." Jason spat his name like it was an insult. And the archer didn't understand why Jason was slapping away his offer, maybe he just had to prove otherwise to what was obvious. So what if the man was afraid of horses, why couldn't he admit to it and move on? The fact that nothing else scared him maxed it out.

But Roy left Jason to struggling with a force beyond him as he himself lead Sandy to the creak, his palm flat against the strong muscle of her neck. She gave a low huffy noise as she lowered her head to drink and Roy agreed. Jason made everything so hard, much more so than it needed to be.

But that was just Jason. It reminded Roy of that incident at the Wayne Manor, almost a decade ago. It was a party Roy was only suffering through because Oliver was in attendance and he had to 'make a good impression' or something that would never be requested by Brave Bow. But whatever, it was boring but not a death sentence.

The only thing to happen all night was Jason discreetly drifting outside, but not discreetly enough because Roy took notice and went after.

Naturally, Jason refused to unbutton his lip and reveal what had him upset and Roy didn't pry, despite the fact that it was obviously the number of elites at the party, intimidating and overwhelming him. Jason wasn't big on people, crowds, social situations... He could fake a good game but that's the extent of it.

But Roy could handle Jason. He knew the tricks and methods to... Control Jason, never mind the fool was convinced it was the other way. Maybe it was. Maybe they took care of each other.

Roy mulled it over as he watched Sandy drinking her fill, unconcerned about tethering her at the moment. She wanted to rest, not bother herself by running away.

And with that said, he turned rather quickly to look in the direction of the frustrated horse noise and sudden burdened grunt of effort behind him. Jason proceeded to drag the saddle off Romi's back, not ready for the weight of it and it made him bend far back and stumble. He nearly lost his footing, either because of the saddle itself or the start the horse gave Jason.

Eyes wide from fright, Jason's back hit the tree behind him, dropping the saddle because of how scared he actually was when Romi stomped her feet. Merely.

Before Jason could try to stop him a second time, Roy moved to take a handful of Romi's reins and directed her head away from his partner. She could still see him, of course, a horse could see everything to their sides, but Roy wouldn't tell Jason that. He'd only be more terrified.

"I'll take care of her, Jaybird." He insisted and this time, it wasn't a friendly, caring offer. It was a statement that Jason responded to with a tiny nod, gaze downcast. Finally, he smartened up.

Roy made quick work of taking the burden of riding gear off Romi's shoulders and lead her to the creak, by Sandy. He hobbled them, fixing a generous length of rope to their back legs so that they could walk around at their leisure but not gallop. The straps, reins, saddles and whatnot were arranged on the fallen log and hung from tree branches.

After, Roy joined Jason at the distance he was standing at, an obvious gesture of caution on his behalf. He refused to look at the animals, now grazing, and he tossed a protein bar in Roy's general direction. Deftly, the archer caught it.

"Thanks." Roy's arm encircled Jason's midriff and kissed his cheek, but for the most part, he was ignored. By the troubled, worked-up frown on Jason's face, he was wracking his brain over how they were going to get out of this one. He stressed for nothing, they'd been in hundreds of worse predicaments and it was obvious that the horses were seriously bothering him.

It was a new thing for Roy to experience, that Jason was afraid of anything. To this extent, especially. His natural inbuilt protect-Jason instinct was having a field day.

"Romi and Sandy need rest, we should get some too." Roy informed him, Jason shrugged.

"I don't want to take my eye off those animals." He muttered, eyes narrowing suspiciously in the direction of the horses.

"What - you think they'll murder you in your sleep?"

"One of these things tried to murder me before. I'm never trusting one again." Jason stated, unintentionally confirming Roy's suspicious. So one had thrown him off? Or perhaps kicked him?

"So which was it?"

"What?" Jason didn't understand, puzzled as to the meaning of the question.

"Were you kicked or thrown?"

Reluctant blue-green eyes lowered to the floor, Jason chewed on his lip for a moment before he responded.

"... Thrown." Was the sole thing he said, perhaps intending to leave it there but Roy gave him a look the pressed for further details.

Jason sighed in a bothered fashion.

"There was this horse that Bruce owned, called Ray, he'd let me ride him around sometimes. It was stormy one afternoon, thunder scared Ray and he bucked and threw me off. I hit the ground and broke my shoulder. I've disliked horses ever since." He didn't explain it with the usual sarcastic flare of drama that he so often used, though he did substitute terrified for dislike.

But people were scared of horses for less than that.

"It's okay, Red. I'll protect you from those dastardly ponies." Offering a smile, Roy placed another small kiss onto Jason's face, the cut line of his jaw this time, and finally drew a half-humoured smile from the man.

"Thanks, idiot." Smirking, Jason turned his head to catch Roy's lips, pecking him briefly then withdrawing with a pop.

Taking turns, they got some sleep after that, with Jason secretly appreciating Roy's attempts to comfort his blood-curdling fear of their equine company. Everybody needed a Roy Harper of their own.

Come first light, they were packing up to get going before their terrorist friends caught up. Roy prepared the horses Jason was reluctant to near while Jason made sure their gear - namely their _weapons_, was all good to go. Guns loaded, quiver bursting with arrows, bowstring taut, everything appeared to be in working order.

"I think we can reach Tara by nightfall if we take a short cut through the pass." Roy let Jason know as he fixed a saddle strap into place. He didn't seem to be scared of being close to the horses, Jason couldn't understand it.

"Sounds cool." He vaguely commented, double-checking to make sure his guns were all smoothly oiled. He didn't want anything to jam on him.

"When we get back to 'Murica," Roy continued, chattiness not distracting him from performing his task efficiently.

"Can we go see that new Lion King movie? I hear people are pissed about it but I kinda wanna make my own decisions."

"I don't think it's really new anymore but sure." They hadn't been to the movies for a good amount of time, it might be fun to do normal shit for a change.

Grinning in anticipation, Roy bit his bottom lip, clearly excited in advance. The green of his eyes appeared to light up in a way that Jason liked to see, but not because of the promise of a movie, he was overjoyed when Romi nuzzled the crook of his neck. Laughing a little, the archer made a fuss of her ears, petting and stroking, saying something in Sioux that Jason didn't understand.

Anxious on his behalf, Jason watched them cautiously, expecting the horses to go mad without cause or notice, and he didn't want them to hurt Roy.

But, if nothing else, it made Jason feel a bit warm to see his partner so happy with such simplistic causes. He was used to goofy Roy, more rarely truly happy-in-the-moment Roy. Jason didn't know he liked horses this much, but it had to be because of his upbringing with the Sioux. 

It really drew the line of difference between them. Born and bred, Jason was a city boy while Roy loved everything outdoorsy. It was a wonder they were compatible.

Jason opened his mouth to comment on Roy letting Romi lick him, but the loud bang from the mountainside above them cut him off. A gunshot.

It happened _fast_. The horses getting spooked and rearing on their hind legs happened _fast_. Almost as fast as Roy's head snapped in the direction the shot was fired from, except locking in on the target didn't happen on account of Romi's hoof crashing down on him while she panicked.

Jason's heart stopped. In slow motion, he watched the horse's panicky stray kick slam into Roy. The blow picked him up and threw him meters across space and time, to Jason's horror. The thwack of Roy hitting the trees and branches snapping beneath his weight was sharp.

All common sense fading, Jason ignored the men running at him from the incline and the gunshots they sent at him, he raced to Roy despite it. His partner was bleeding from the mouth, nose, streamlets of red already tumbling down his features. There was a dent in his chest plate, shaped like a hoof, and he wasn't fully conscious, snapped tree branches between him and the forest floor. 

Dropping to his knees, Jason grumbled a string of rapid curses as his gaze swept quickly across Roy's injured state. _Shit_.

"Get Hood!" Someone snapped, firing his weapon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that escalated quickly.


	3. I kinda am

"Get Hood!"

A bullet zipped past Jason's head, almost nicking an artery had it not bounced off the armoured collar of his suit. He exclaimed a curse word or two, looping an arm around his injured partner and rapidly dragging them both behind the cover of a large mossy boulder. Shots ricocheted off the stone and sent fragments of it scattering through the air. Romi and Sandy couldn't run away, Roy hadn't taken the hobbles off but the animals sure as hell were panicking, kicking out at the men that dared to come close.

Hands on either side of Roy's ribcage, Jason hoisted him upright against the stone, eliciting a weak groan from the archer with his fucking chest kicked in. Or almost. Were it not for the chest plate, he'd be dead, ribs impaling his heart, lungs, and all. On top of it all, he must have hit the back of his head on a rock because a red darker than his hair colour matted his locks together, trickling down his neck.

Fuck.

Jason despised horses more than before.

These wounds needed to be tended but it wasn't possible for as long as those terrorists were running around shooting shit.

"Wait here." Jason said to Roy despite not being heard coherently, and he grabbed a handful of trick arrows from his partner's quiver along with the folded bow from his belt. He flicked the weapon open the way he'd seen Roy do many times, notching a trio of the arrows and drawing the string to his cheek. He didn't aim at anything, just the sky he sent the projectiles hurtling through. Within seconds, the canisters replacing lethal points erupted into a red fog that enveloped the terrorists.

Confusion reigned, there were yells and shouts and guns going off. The men couldn't see, ie, they didn't see it when Jason leapt over the rock and lunged for the first thug in his path. With Roy's bow, he swept his enemy's feet from under him and had a knife in his throat before he hit the ground. Blood exploded with the scream, it attracted more of them to Jason. Good, he was worried this'd be boring.

"You're outnumbered!" One of them barked but to Jason, the odds weren't quite fair in their favour.

"And I'm gonna feed you to a fucking dog!" Jason snapped back, a running step and quick bound and he got his thighs around the man's neck. He twisted his entire body weight sharply to one side, a satisfying crack and gurgled shriek before his victim's body slumped. Jason caught himself while the corpse dropped, going after the next one his sights locked on and this particular terrorist looked a tad worried. He didn't get to dwell in that notion for long, Jason broke the bow across his face, the redwood finish splintering into shards that sunk into his flesh.

While he was screaming, splinters impaling his eyes, the Batarang from Jason's utility belt slashed through his arteries and windpipe, effectively silencing him. Roy was gonna be so upset once he discovered his bow was destroyed.

The bodies dropped like flies. If Jason wasn't worried about his partner, he might not have chosen such efficaciously lethal methods but these clowns enticed his bad side to come out.

Soaked in the blood of his opponents, Jason was midway through removing a man's head for him when some sneaky bastard came up behind him and threw a noose around his neck. Faster than he could cut it, it yanked taut and trapped the air in his throat, dragging him backwards and forcing him to expose his vulnerable front to the terrorist coming his way, packing a machete.

"Gut the bitch, Sanchez!" The one with the noose yapped, holding the rope with both fists while a choking Jason struggled to free himself. If he could just get his fingers between the noose and his throat or-

A solid thwack collided into Jason's captor and the man was hurled meters into the air, crashing onto hard earth somewhere hidden by the red mist. Sandy neighed and tossed her head, her back legs tense from the deadly kick she dealt the man. What...? Was he just saved by a fucking horse? Ohkay...

Working swiftly, Jason yanked the noose from over his head and pounded three shots into the machete wielder, after which he glanced at the horse that just saved his life. She was panicking with all the loud noises and overwhelming stench of blood, kicking was a reaction caused by instincts to get distance between herself and the thing she sensed was dangerous but...

"Uh... _thank you_?" Jason didn't know how to tread with this matter and fortunately, Sandy didn't appear to care for his thanks. She just didn't want to be here.

The snap of twigs behind alerted him, Jason snatched the fallen machete and spun around, the weapon flying from his hand and soaring into the terrorist hoping a sneak attack would be his saviour. Instead, he got a blade through the belly and painful death to top it off.

Aggressive as an attack dog, Jason scanned his surroundings for the next unlucky bastard to cross his path but... wait, was that all of them? The red mist was clearing, revealing that bloodied human corpses littered the surrounding grounds and aside from the dying, nothing so much as twitched. Through his head, Jason quickly counted his and Sandy's kill count was fifteen or so, about the same amount he'd reasoned were after them.

Normally, he'd go around finishing everyone off with a headshot but he didn't want to. He was more eager to return to Roy's side, but upon arriving, was surprised that Romi was nosing him. Her nostrils moved with her sniffing as she examined the grounded archer, focusing on the areas budding with blood through his clothes. If animals were capable of expressing emotion then what was shown in her big dark eyes was _concern_.

Jason didn't understand. Romi _kicked_ Roy, why was she all worried like?

He never pretended he understood the mind of a horse, not that he really had time to, and he unloaded the minimal medical equipment he carried in a compartment of his belt as he speed-walked over.

"Shoo. Move." He waved his hand at Romi, hesitant to approach her but he couldn't help Roy with her standing there, in the way. She moved her leg, the Hood flinched without meaning to but to his relief, she was only slowly sauntering out the way. Jason was happy he didn't have to fight her, God knows he'd lose.

Never letting the horse out of his peripheral, Jason carefully lowered himself onto his knees beside his partner. Roy was just as unconscious as he'd been a moment ago, except his eyes weren't fully shut, revealing blank green between the red lashes, so it was safe to wager he was coming around. Good, that meant brain damage was unlikely. But just to be sure, Jason checked how his pupils reacted to sunlight and the dilation pointed towards a concussion. Really, it wasn't surprising.

They had to get to Tara now more than ever, that concussion could be worse than it appeared outwardly.

"Babe, I need you to wake up for me." He pulled Roy half into his lap, over his thighs, resting his redhead against his arm while he proceeded to unbuckle the dented chest plate. The straps opened with no problem for someone familiar concerning the locking mechanisms, and Jason slid the armour off and onto the ground without a caring glance. 

With the only blade he hadn't left embedded in a bloody corpse, Jason tore more than cut through the thin cloth of Roy's shirt, making sure the cutting-edge never came near enough to even nick him. Once there was a clear track from collar to hem, he examined the damage to his partner's ribs and thankfully, nothing felt broken.

In an examinatory sweep, Jason glided his cold hand over the black and purple bruises, listening out for a rattle in Roy's shallow breathing but relievingly, he couldn't find it. The armour was designed to absorb 70% of blunt force trauma, allowing through only enough to bruise and good thing too, this could be ten times worse.

But there was still that concussion pressing on the mind.

"I smashed your bow." He nonchalantly revealed and it garnered the first reaction thus far, meagre though it was. Roy's already partially open eyes fluttered just a fraction apart, focusing on Jason sluggishly.

"Wh... _why_?" Roy murmured, barely above a whisper, yet leaning on his partner's arm. 

"I was fighting terrorists but I'll get you a new bow, promise. And we gotta go, ginger." Jason rose and dragged Roy off the ground with him, slinging his arm over his shoulder for support but the half-conscious archer stumbled and all but crashed into Jason's side, incapable of holding his own weight. Accidentally, Jason's fingers slipped from around his wrist and Roy fell onto all fours, throwing up bile and that protein bar he was given last night.

Yep, definitely a concussion. 

Once he was done throwing up, Jason hoisted his partner against his own body again, fastening his arm tighter around for support. He didn't have any idea how the fuck they were going to get outta this valley, the mountains rose steeply on either side. That pass Roy mentioned crept back into mind, maybe if Tara could somehow get there... no, she couldn't. She made it clear the border was the nearest that she was able to send pick-up.

Fuck.

Jason needed to figure this out on his own. Logically, he knew what he had to do but really didn't want to think about it. But as if the thought was a sentient being attempting to force its way into his reluctant mind, Sandy lumbered up beside Jason and nosed his neck, much to the gunslinger's horror.

Except he pushed it out of his mind by force. Neither he nor Roy could afford for him to be hung up on his childish phobias at the moment.

"Okay, horse," Jason breathed slowly, forcefully, trying his best to calm himself when face-to-face with the horse's long red nose. Sandy's large black eyes gazed at him without a hostile flicker but just like him, neither her nor Romi was at ease here. The blood, the death, they could smell it.

"You know I'm terrified of you, or at least, Roy says you do, so please don't let me regret this." 

Sandy didn't rise onto her back legs to pummel him level with the dirt, Jason garnered enough confidence from that small act alone to hesitantly lay his hand over her muzzle. She exhaled down his arm, a trusting breath that didn't flinch away when he carefully moved to take her reins.

"_Huh_..." Murmuring in quiet surprise, Jason couldn't help but wonder why she suddenly appeared to trust him. Mayhaps she knew as well as he did that without their combined effort, Roy wouldn't fare well. 

It was a task, but Jason managed to drag himself and his partner onto Romi's back, attaching Sandy's reins to Romi's saddlebag to tow her along and she was disciplined enough not to kick up trouble. Jason appreciated that immensely. He held Roy against his chest, one arm firmly fixed across him while the spare one focused on steering the horse. But it wasn't really necessary, they were only winding their way through the pass cutting the mountains apart, so the fear of them galloping off wasn't a logical one.

Roy'd be so proud of him, Jason thought. He managed to put his crippling equinophobia aside for long enough to bail them outta there. That was some killer character development in his book. Not that he was ever gonna do this again. No, not when he was still tensing at any tiny movement from Romi that he'd not been anticipating. 

One step - or inch - at a time, it's not like he needed to be a horse lover like Roy just because he understood the necessity of getting on with the animals right now. 

Leaning on him, Roy kept lolling in and out of varying states of consciousness but so long as he wasn't out cold the whole while, Jason wasn't panicking. But it still wasn't ideal to linger.

Just as well, the night was beginning to break when they finally got to the clearing Tara promised to be at two days ago, but she wasn't here yet, which gave Jason time to dismount and prop Roy up against a tree that was sufficiently out of the way enough to keep him from getting underfoot. 

"Here, drink." Jason held the rim of his flask to Roy's lips and tipped it back, helping the sluggish archer with the water. Some dribbled down his chin but most went where intended. 

"Thanks, Jaybird." Roy mumbled, voice thick and heavy from the fog in his brain. Everything he looked at, he did so in confusion despite possessing recollections of where they were and why.

"How're you feeling?" The Hood asked, concerned as he corked the flask and returned it to the saddlebag on Romi's side.

"Not... awesome." Was the confession and no big surprise there. But at least, the archer was awake. One less thing to fear over. As time ticked on, Roy'd become more and more coherent, the concussion might not be as severe as Jason worried.

"Tara will be here soon, we'll patch you up properly then." Jason offered as comfort but then it came to pass that his gaze wandered to the grazing horses, left to roam around freely as hobbling them meant getting closer to their feet than he felt safe doing.

"What're we gonna do with the ponies? They can't go on a chopper." Obviously.

Swallowing heavily, Roy watched the animals with slow processing going on in his head, considering the question before he said anything.

"They ride up these mountains all the time, they'll know the way home if we leave them here." 

Jason's brows knit. There was information he'd never heard. Horses could navigate?

"Really?"

"Really. They're ways smarter than you think." 

Oh... the idea was incredibly odd but he hoped it was true. That meant Roy wouldn't worry about the animals or get miserable over having to abandon them. If they knew how to get to the stable at the mountain base then they'd be fine, surely.

"Proud of you for voluntarily getting on a horse, by the way." Roy told Jason, the faintest flicker of a smile forming and Jason could tell that his partner meant that, he was actually proud but it wasn't exactly voluntary that Jason did it. Were he on his own, he woulda just scaled the mountain face rather.

"Thanks... but I'm not doing it again." 

"Heaven forbid." Another smile. This time, more prominent. It made Jason smile a little bit too.

Soon, around an hour into waiting for pickup, their patience was rewarded when a floodlight fell over them and the sky above filled with the hum of rotor blades chopping back and forth through the air. Tara. Finally. 

The helicopter's landing gear barely touched down before their storm faced boss-lady jumped out and marched up to Jason.

"This is the last time I'm bailing your ass outta trouble, Todd." Tara snapped, stabbing Jason in the chest with her pointed index during the scold. His chest plate was 100% iron, didn't doing that hurt?

"Noted, boss." His voice was low with his less than happy mood. He didn't have the energy to argue however, he went to retrieve his partner, only to discover he'd stumbled over to the horses and was presently hugging Sandy, his tattooed arms around her neck for balance or part of the embrace.

"Get home safe, yeah?" Roy said into her mane, thus muffling his words but they weren't for the world to hear. Jason just barely caught them as he stood aside, letting Roy have his horse moment in peace. Kissing her nose, the archer went from Sandy to Romi, hugging her too.

"Take care of Sandy. I love her but she's... wilful." Like her owner, Jason would say. Once Roy let go of Romi, Jason went to walk him to the helicopter as his balance wasn't the best at the moment. Tara stared at them judgmentally but didn't utter a word, maybe she got it that they'd had a heck of a weekend.

Inside, while the pilot went about taking off and Jason collected medical gear, Tara slammed the door to, Roy sat by the window and watched the horses wander off into the forest, presumably homeward. There was a certain amount of sadness in his eyes that Jason took note of, and he put it in his planner to take his partner to the stable that housed Bruce's horses, once the concussion cleared. Roy'd like that, even if Jason surely wouldn't. It was worth it though, and he didn't even have to see Ray. That nasty thing had been dead for ages.

"You okay?" Jason offered Roy a tiny comforting smile, coming to sit beside him with cotton and disinfectant to clean his abrasions with. Roy looked away from the treeline the horses disappeared past. He did come off as sad but not cripplingly so, just enough to notice.

"Yeah. Sure." He said, returning Jason's smile and leaning in to kiss him. 

"Let's just rent Lion King, I don't feel like seeing people." Roy pulled away from the chaste kiss to let Jason know that, and he agreed with a nod. A bit of R&R in the safety and comfort of their home was tempting after this whole horse fiasco.

"Sounds like a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honest to God, I forgot how to spell "thigh" and spent twenty minutes trying different letter combinations to get it right.
> 
> And thanks for reading!


End file.
